How To Stay Healthy During A Code Red Air Quality Alert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Doctors say along with limiting your exposure, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from the poor air quality.

The Code Red Alert means everyone is at risk, even people who are healthy.

Doctors say your best bet is to stay indoors.

“To limit high activity or exercise, high exertion activities such as sports or running, biking, even walking long distances, I’d recommend minimizing those,” says Dr. Aaron Levy, with Atrium Health.

Levy says health impacts, even short term exposure, can make people feel irritated with itchy eyes, nose, and throat.

People may even have coughing, trouble breathing, and chest tightness.

If you’re thinking about using a mask, Levy says cloth or surgical masks won’t help much.

But an N95 mask may provide some benefits.

“We’re talking about small particles that are fractions of a grain of sand or diameter of a hair, it’s about 1/30 the size of the diameter of a hair, when we’re talking about this fine particulate matter,” Levy says.